Author: scooj

I am Stephen. I live in Bristol, UK. I decided to shorten my profile...to this: Wildlife, haiku, travel, streetart, psychogeography and my family. Not necessarily in that order.

3791. Upfest 2021 75×75 (11)

We, the citizens of Bristol, have been spoilt by Steve, Emma and the whole Upfest team. In the most trying of circumstances they have pulled off a most remarkable event, or show, lasting 75 days and the painting of 75 walls. As if that wasn’t enough, the legacy of this monumental effort will bring joy to the hearts of many for months and years to come.

Hixxy, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Hixxy, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

This wonderful facade mural is by Hixxy, an artist I have not come across before. As far as I can make out, she is based in London and Liverpool and she describes her work as ‘pop botanical murals’ which looking at this piece makes total sense. This modernist painting features pear blossom and a face that Hixxy dug out from a 1950s archive. It is amazing how much information you can get from Instagram!

The whole piece works really well over the shop front of Kask wine, and Hixxy has very cleverly incorporated the windows into the darker parts of the design so that you hardly notice them. A fine Upfest piece.

3790. M32 roundabout J3 (336)

I was so pleased to see yet another lovely piece from Maesyhook, especially as it was painted alongside Bristol legends Ryder and T-Rex. Although Maesyhook is, I think, a relatively new resident of the city, she has certainly made herself very much at home, which is good news for all of us.

Maesyhook, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Maesyhook, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

The piece she has painted here adopts her customary pink and turquoise colour scheme but the dear little kawaii character has been replaced with a rather less cuddly skull and the tag-line ‘scorchio’. This is another in a series of enjoyable pieces from Maesyhook and I look forward to many more.

Silver lining

.

Dark clouds lingering

England put under the sword

Saka my hero

.

by Scooj

3789. Bristol County Ground (1)

A few weeks ago, a friend organised a group (socially distanced by family) visit to a T20 cricket match at the Bristol County Cricket Ground, where Gloucestershire play their home games (Bristol was at one time in the county of Gloucestershire). This was the first match at the ground for 18 months and the sparse crowd created a great atmosphere. We had a really good time. My experience was, of course enhanced by the opportunity to find some Silent Hobo commissions that are within the ground. This is the first I am sharing on Natural Adbentures.

Silent Hobo, Bristol County Ground, Bristol, June 2021
Silent Hobo, Bristol County Ground, Bristol, June 2021

Silent Hobo is a brilliant artist and one of his many qualities is that he is able to work to a brief. In this piece he has faithfully recreated the cricket ground, with a match in progress, and the cricket ball bursting out of the wall. It is a quintessential English scene given the Silent Hobo treatment. So good to see it at last. More to come from this trip.

3788. M32 roundabout J3 (335)

The Pirate Wall Art (PWA) boys have been very busy this year both as individuals and as collaborators. They have also introduced a bit on a new look theme to their more recent work, which is well demonstrated in this nice piece from Soap.

Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Soap, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

The new theme is to frame the piece in a wobbly border, and it is something that Soap, Nightwayss and Face 1st are incorporating into their work. It is a PWA thing. This is a rather nice self-contained piece with Soap’s mouth/skull icon, this time attached to a body, and a hand bearing a large gem. Next time I see Soap, I must ask him what the gem thing is all about – he has been featuring them in his work for about six months now. Great fun piece.

Final(ly)

.

This Italophile

makes no apologies for

cheering on England

.

by Scooj

Infestation

.

Moths in the dog food

hundreds and hundreds of them

culprits evicted

.

by Scooj

3787. Brunel Way (115)

So here we are again with another couple of fabulous small pieces by urban artist Maybe. When it comes to simplicity and creativity Maybe ticks all the boxes, and with these pieces he also creates a sense of fun.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

The lava lamp, such an iconic design, is inspired and the stretching ‘lava’ liquid takes the form of a couple of faces… such a lovely idea.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

The other piece is unfortunately a little obscured with a tag on the left, but it is mostly intact, and the sunshine face is a joyful image. Much more to come from this imaginative artist.

3786. Upfest 2021 75×75 (10)

One of my all time favourite artists in Bristol is Hazard, and it is not difficult to understand why.  Her portraits, so full of depth, emotion and colour, can be found dotted around the city, and although many have long-since gone, there are still several to be found. This new piece for the Upfest 75 walls in 75 days initiative, is breathtakingly beautiful. It is also frustratingly difficult to photograph.

Hazard, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Hazard, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

I passed by while she was mid-way through painting the piece and was going to stop for a chat, but I could see that she was in full flow and I didn’t really want to disturb her. I rather like the ladder on the side of the building, taking away a little bit of the glamour we might associate with being a muralist.

Hazard, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Hazard, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

The piece itself is a gorgeous portrait of a woman in deep red colours with blue hair and a Garland of what looks like clouds and vapours in a pinky orange hue. The connection with nature is obvious, as it is in so many of Hazard’s pieces, with the leaves to the right of the piece.

It is so good to see Hazard back out painting our walls, it has been a quiet eighteen months from her.

3785. M32 roundabout J3 (334)

I always feel like I am a little bit behind the curve when it comes to Stivs. He has only really come onto my radar over the last twelve months or so, and I have struggled to post as many of his outstanding pieces as I would like.

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

This is a real beauty, tucked away on the M32 roundabout. Unlike some of his more formal caligraffiti, this piece uses his calligraphic principals and blends them into some wildstyle writing. The colours work really well together and Stivs has worked in some incredibly detailed fills and patterns. This is a mighty piece.